Life Is Precious; Blessings Are Abundant!

For years, our answering machine message has ended with the words "Life is precious; blessings are abundant". I am keenly feeling the breadth and depth of the truth of those words this season. We've recently had quite a few dear friends in the midst of hardship, trauma, and pain. We've listened, we've held, we've cried. We've also shared many joyous times with many other loved ones. We've listened, we've held, we've smiled. And in all those cases, the fullness of "life is precious; blessings are abundant" has rung true. Our weather has given us loads of snow; it has given us precious little rain; we've had way too much heat; we've had way too much cold. It's too dry to plant; it's too cold to plant; it's too hot to plant. Blessings remain abundant.

This new business, Alice's Kitchen, has allowed me take in the grace of the blessings in my life nearly every day. I hear how the presence of the food delivery makes a real difference in someone's life. Joy. I have someone show up and ask if they can help exactly when I most need help (over and over and over!). Gratitude. I have a reason to allow myself to read, for hours, about food and recipes, and I take time to think of new ways to use just-harvested foods. For the first time, I make Rhubarb Mousse and Roasted Rhubarb & Beet Salad, Mmmmm! Pleasure. Our nephew Brett and EIGHT woofers (farm volunteers) arrive on Wednesday and work all day in the searing sun and get LOADS of otherwise overwhelming (impossible!) tasks done. We share a meal, laugh, get to know each other a bit, sweat together in the afternoon sun and all end up tired and happy. More Gratitude. I feel the life in just-picked vegetables; the love in the plants we purchase for our garden from Bare Root Farm; the glorious song of the oriole; the beating of the tiny wings of a hummingbird; the beauty of the tiger swallowtail butterfly, and the ecstasy of raindrops on our parched garden. Grace. Yes, hardship and fatigue and pain and tragedy abound. And grace is but a heartbeat away. Life is precious; blessings are abundant.

May we all enjoy another week filled with delicious foods, beautiful plants, rainy skies, warm sunshine, time with friends, and more sweet dreams. Blessed Be!

Community Supported Foods Members: click here for this week's menu.
A La Carte customers: click here for this week's menu.

Please visit our website at www.aliceskitchenathoneyhill.com for further information on all our programs. We have many ideas about how Alice's Kitchen can help build and serve our hilltown community. We're excited to share our resources in a myriad of ways. Stay tuned for more details and let us know how we can best serve.

It is a joy to provide delicious, nourishing, and beautiful foods, prepared with care and love, for our community.